The new product from AVTOVAZ went on sale not long ago, but has already gained a certain reputation in the automotive market. Many say that this car has become a real breakthrough for the Russian automobile industry, while others talk about its shortcomings and disadvantages. How many people - so many opinions, we bring to your attention reviews of Lada Vesta St. Cross 2021 car owners, we hope they will help you make the right choice.
Reviews about the Vesta Sport engine
Positive reviews about the Lada engine
Nikolai: “I would like to note that the engine power is quite good, it has been increased to 120 horsepower, although previously it was 98 horses. I'm talking about a sedan that I purchased relatively recently. If the rpm is 4500 per minute, then the torque indicator is 160 Nm. For a domestic car at its price, the engine is excellent"
Arsen: “They really worked on the engine - it cannot be compared with the power unit of the same Priora. It works smoothly, accelerates smoothly, and does not knock, even though the car is already six months old. The volume can be chosen between 1.6 and 1.8 liters, but I chose the smaller one and don’t regret it. Drives great around the city, I've already ridden long distances a couple of times - no problems"
Svyatoslav: “The sports version of the engine is distinguished by a change in the profile of the cams in the camshafts, and this allows the cylinders to be completely filled. Accordingly, they are effectively purged from exhaust and become less polluted. This extends the life of the entire motor as a whole. In addition, the manufacturer reflashed the ECU brain"
Mikhail: “I am completely satisfied with the performance of the engine. The exhaust and intake resistance has decreased, so the power of the power unit has also increased. Now the motor has excellent output and torque. I can recommend the car, at least judging by the engine performance.”
Ilya: “When creating the engine for the sports version, we took a 1.6 engine as a base, but added turbocharging to it, and now it can develop up to 240 horsepower and up to 280 Nm. The car accelerates to hundreds in just 6 seconds – I timed it personally. This is great progress for Lada"
Vadim: “I liked the presence of the piston group developed at AVTOVAZ, although as for the cylinder block and its heads, they remained basic. Special new technologies have made it possible to increase the strength of the crankshaft, which is pleasing, and we were pleased with the improvements to the oil pump; now the heat transfer in the engine has really become better.”
Negative reviews on the Lada engine
On the Internet about the Lada Vesta St. Cross 2021 car, there are not only positive but also negative reviews:
Igor: “When I’m idling, the engine starts making strange sounds, either rattling or whistling—I couldn’t figure out the reason. I looked at it myself, and went to the service center, they seem to say that everything is fine, but then where does the sound come from?”
Grigory: “I just bought a car from a dealership, and immediately started having problems with oil consumption. When he started moving, he was too big. I came to the service and they said that the reason was the poor quality of processing of the valve stems. We replaced the Chinese ones with others, and the consumption seems to have stabilized.”
Oleg: “The main disadvantage of this motor is the electrics! When I bought the Vesta St. Cross 2021, I read the owners’ reviews very carefully; there were many complaints about the electrics. Now I am personally convinced that the electronic pedal does not work as it should. Sometimes the car starts only on the third try.”
Victor: “I thought that a domestic car could be fed with our cheap gasoline, but it turned out that this is what ruined the engine. It is focused on EURO5 standards, and therefore you only need to refuel with high-quality gasoline. My valves began to hang, the service center said the valves were bent precisely because of low-quality fuel.”
Roman: “The engine runs disgustingly in the cold season. Very sensitive to temperature, does not idle well, and is difficult to start. This kind of car needs to be kept in the garage, then there will be no problems.”
conclusions
There are both pros and cons to the Vesta St. Cross engine - reviews from 2021 say that the engine runs smoothly, the consumption is not high, but it’s really better to buy only high-quality gasoline.
Bad fuel can negatively affect the performance of the machine. The increased power and torque allow us to judge that the car has become more dynamic and faster.
Lada Vesta SW Cross: to buy or not? Verdicts of Autoreview journalists and guest authors
The elevated Lada Vesta SW Cross station wagon has already taken part in a comparative test, and now a Cross with a 1.8 engine (122 hp) and a manual transmission is in the hands of our try-on experts. Such a car costs at least 781 thousand rubles, and our car, painted in orange metallic Mars, with heated rear seats, a rear view camera and a navigator, cost 835 thousand.
If my memory serves me correctly, the Volzhsky Automobile Plant has been installing engines with fuel injection on its cars since 2001. Moreover, all these sixteen years in Tolyatti they concluded “finishing” contracts with venerable European companies. But it seems that something went wrong - and in the end it was the Vesta SW Cross with the new 1.8 engine that became for me the worst “try-on” car of the past year.
And how beautifully it all began! For once, the plant has produced a model that you want to be proud of. For once I was intrigued by a medium displacement engine. Even bloggers admired the chassis settings and immediately stopped calling VAZ products TAZs.
But I don’t care anymore how the “fitting room” of the Lada Vesta SW Cross is controlled, what ground clearance it has and how many suitcases its trunk can accommodate. Because a car “without an engine” is not interesting to me in principle. On the Kalina Cross, both with eight- and sixteen-valve 1.6 engines, on which I have driven more than one thousand kilometers on Russian and Kazakh roads, there really are engines. And here…
After starting from a stop, the gas pedal falls into emptiness, the engine hangs for a while - and only after a second or two it begins to sluggishly pick up speed. It feels as if the catalytic converter is clogged and the engine control unit has switched to emergency mode just to hold out for service. Pushing through traffic jams at low speeds is even worse torture, because convulsions of the torsional vibration damper are added to the convulsive jerking of the engine. It is not surprising that against this background everything around begins to irritate: the plastic is cheap, the red color in the interior is too much, and in the instrument cluster the design conflicts with ophthalmic ergonomics. Yes, yes, I am aware that domestically produced cars are divided not into good and bad, but into successful and unsuccessful. I also know that releasing a crippled car from the assembly line is a serious breach in the quality control system, and handing it over to journalists is reputational suicide.
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Lada St. Cross 2021 - transmission reviews
Positive reviews
Alexander: “I spent a long time choosing between mechanics and a robot, but finally settled on mechanics. It works well and suits me perfectly for driving around the city. The gear shift knob is convenient and conveniently located. Easily transitions from one speed setting to another.”
Rustam: “For the first six months of operation, there are no complaints about the gearbox. At fifth speed it perfectly achieves the desired acceleration, if desired, you can extend it, and this perfectly replaces sixth gear. Switches between third, fourth and fifth almost silently"
Philip: “The reverse gear works great; personally, I don’t see much difference between the operation of the gearbox on foreign cars and on Vesta Sport. There is no need to press hard, squeeze out speeds, they shift smoothly and quickly. Without any effort"
Nikita: “The domestic gearbox allows you to quickly accelerate to hundreds of kilometers per hour, although I expected that there would be problems with this. The consumption is not small, but not too large either. I would say at an average level. I haven’t noticed any extraneous noises or sounds yet.”
Stepan: “My Lada Vesta St. Cross 2018 does not live up to the reviews - the dynamics are excellent, it starts quickly and easily, although I have read many complaints about the transmission - my car has a manual transmission, and it switches perfectly between speeds, nothing creaks. On the fifth, I drive well on long-distance highways – that’s enough.”
Negative reviews
Denis: “I drove it for about six months, the second gear began to engage poorly - it resists and knocks. I arrived at the service station, they looked at it, and they said it was weak synchronizers. It turns out that this is a common problem for such machines."
Evgeniy: “It’s almost impossible to drive in cold weather! The lower the temperature drops, the worse the gearbox works, even if it is mechanical. It starts knocking terribly and freezes. You can’t leave the car on the street for a long time, then at the most inopportune moment the gear may simply not shift.”
Gennady: “The robotic box is a complete punishment. Our auto industry has not yet learned to make high-quality robots, so I do not advise anyone to buy Vesta Sport with AMD. There are difficulties with changing gears, for example, I’m driving uphill, and it starts to lower the speed limit.”
Dmitry: “The clutch is no good - it burns out when you start moving, if you give the gas even a little more. It started vibrating a couple of times in first gear. The car starts moving uncertainly, it jerks.”
Taras: “Sixth gear is missing, it turns out. It seems that the car has potential for greater acceleration, but there is no way to realize it. In addition, the first speed mode is short. You don’t have time to really gain momentum, you already have to shift to second, if you give a little more gas in first gear, the car starts to shake a lot and twitch.”
conclusions
The gearbox is of fairly high quality and features a smooth transition between speed modes, but sometimes problems arise in its operation. First of all, this is a twitching when starting to move, characteristic of AVTOVAZ. The manufacturer has tried to eliminate unpleasant sensations as much as possible, but sometimes, especially in cold weather, they still appear. In addition, many note the lack of sixth speed and the first gear being too short.
Manual transmission options on Vesta
When developing this car model, the use of the “native” gearbox, the VAZ 2180, was initially envisaged. However, the former director of AvtoVAZ, Bo Andersson, rejected it due to the hum that occurs when the gears rotate and interact. Instead of the originally planned gearbox, a Renault JH3 manual was installed.
After carrying out the necessary work on the domestic gearbox, the designers managed to reduce noise and also create a more balanced gear shift pattern. After the improvements have been made on the Lada Vesta, the manual gearbox is again installed domestically. It is marked as VAZ 21087.
The new transmission has slightly different characteristics. The gear ratio is 3.94. The car can be accelerated to hundreds in 10.2 seconds, and the top speed has increased to 188 km/m. At the same time, the volume of fuel consumed has also increased slightly. Now it is 7.5 liters per 100 km. in a mixed driving cycle.
Lada Vesta St. Cross 2021 - owner reviews about the interior
Positive reviews
Valery: “In the new version, many additional gaskets were installed, so the car began to work much quieter - a large number of crickets disappeared, which were distracting while driving.”
Kirill: “Good material, despite the fact that ordinary fabric with leather inserts is used for the upholstery, it is quite durable, does not tear, does not fray. I noticed this immediately upon purchase, and I’m convinced now, four months later.”
Andrey: “The luggage compartment in the Lada Sport is quite spacious, everything you need fits, in addition, there is a special organizer - things are not just scattered around the cabin, but neatly laid out. The problem of finding something in the trunk went away by itself.”
Arthur: “The sports version of the car has excellent lateral support in the seats. I noticed this right away. It has become much more comfortable behind the wheel when compared with Priora or Kalina. And the design of the salon itself is not flashy, but stylish.”
Victor: “The interior of the car is completely satisfactory for this price. Convenient console, everything is clear, simple, there is everything necessary for the comfort of the driver and passengers. A beautiful leather gear shift knob, an original approach to creating an inexpensive, but at the same time modern car"
Negative reviews
Vladislava: “It’s very noisy in the cabin, especially when the car picks up speed. The husband tried his best to remove the unpleasant sound, but it did no good. The manufacturer should improve the sound insulation"
Renat: “It seems that the car was positioned as expensive, high-quality, equal to a foreign car, but cheap plastic was used in the interior, like in old cars from the domestic auto industry. Due to this, the interior loses its attractiveness. It seems to me that the materials could have been chosen better.”
Vladimir: “The locks of the reclining seat backs are creaking. The creaking sounds as if the car is at least several years old, although I only purchased it a few months ago. The interior is very simple, without any special features"
Miron: “The front panel is inconveniently located; practically nothing is visible on the multimedia system and navigation monitor if the sun comes out outside. It was necessary to either place the screen differently or make it brighter. Now navigation is losing its meaning - you can’t see anything, there’s no way to look closely behind the wheel.”
Konstantin: “There is not enough legroom in the rear passenger row. Of course, if you drive for an hour or two, you don’t feel it too much, and you can sit quite comfortably, but when the ride takes five hours, your legs just start to hurt. The car is not designed for long journeys with passengers in the back row."
conclusions
Reviews of the 2021 St. Cross salon are characterized as simple, discreet, but at the same time, modern. The manufacturer saved on some materials, but at the same time paid special attention to such details as the convenience of the driver's seat, the presence of sockets and lighting for passengers, and much more.
Reviews of Vesta pendant
Positive reviews
Pavel: “I have a Vesta St. Cross 1.8 manual, the 2021 reviews simply amaze me. I want to express my opinion - the suspension has become much better than in all previous versions of the car. This is due to the presence of elastic, vulcanized bushings. I am completely satisfied with her work"
Alena: “This is my second Lada car. I can note that it really drives much better, at least I don’t hear any knocking in the suspension area. The shock absorbers have become more durable and reliable.”
Nazar: “Before buying the car, I immediately clarified the issue with the suspension, since this is a big problem for the Lada. I was told that with recalibrated springs and new shock absorbers the problem went away. I’ve been driving for several months now and there’s no knocking yet.”
Zaur: “I would like to note the convenient location of the suspension. I recently went to a service center specifically to check where the knock was coming from, they fixed everything very quickly and almost free of charge. I used to drive a foreign car and I know that adjusting the suspension is quite expensive, but in a Lada you can do everything yourself. Very comfortably".
Grisha: “The softened shock absorber support and updated suspension made it possible to almost completely get rid of knocking. When driving, there is no difference between a middle-class foreign car and a Lada Vesta SportSV in the operation of the chassis."
Negative reviews
Tatyana: “I’m already used to the fact that any speeding policeman causes a rumble in the chassis, and I’m silent about country roads with potholes and bumps. The car is not adapted for driving on uneven surfaces.”
Mikhail: “I studied the reviews of the SV Cross 2021 1.6 for quite a long time, and still decided to buy a car. I regretted it after the first hole, it seemed like there were basically no shock absorbers, very high sensitivity, for this class.”
Igor: “The play of the ball joints constantly creates additional knocks when driving, and sometimes they occur even when driving on an ideal road surface. It turned out that the reason was in the stabilizer struts. I went to the service center and they did something. And a week later the sounds in the chassis started again.”
Rodion: “Despite the fact that the ground clearance has become a little higher, the car has not become a real crossover. It’s just not for her rough terrain and heavy loads. When I completely loaded the luggage compartment and drove along a not particularly good road, the squeaks were simply terrible, I thought that the car would completely sag.”
Dmitry: “The shock absorbers perform their function very poorly, so the shock falls on the suspension on every hole and is transmitted further. The inside of the car is all ringing and knocking, it feels like it’s falling apart.”
Conclusion
On the one hand, the manufacturer tried to improve the chassis as much as possible, make the suspension more reliable, and replaced the shock absorbers with better ones. But this did not completely solve the problem of constant knocking and squeaking, so there are many complaints from owners. In general, the car behaves well on good roads, but under heavy loads and on uneven roads, extraneous sounds in the chassis area are quite likely.
Engine characteristics and fuel consumption.
In different configurations, the Hyundai Creta is equipped with 2 gasoline engines of 1.6 and 2 liters, with a power of 123 and 149 hp. The 1.6-liter engine accelerates the car to 100 km/h in 12 seconds, consuming 7.1 liters of gasoline, the 2-liter engine reaches the same speed in 11 seconds, consuming 7.8 liters of fuel. Vehicle weight - 1472 kg. Both engines are reliable and have good dynamics. The manufacturer claims a range of 200,000 km.
Advantages and disadvantages of 1.6:
- excellent dynamics;
- lower fuel consumption than the 2 liter version;
- reduces the cost of the car.
A more powerful version of the Creta engine allows you to feel confident when overtaking in high-speed highway conditions. At the same time, choosing a 2L unit will entail higher gasoline consumption and an addition to the price of the car.
Maximum speed – 183 km/h.
Gasoline brand - 92 and higher.
Vesta station wagon engines are 1.6 liters with a power of 106 hp, 1.8 liters with a power of 122 hp. in conjunction with a 5-speed manual transmission and a 5AMT robot. The 1.8 liter Lada is equipped with both a robot and mechanics. 1.6 liter - only manual. Gasoline grade - minimum 92.
Maximum speed -181 km.
Acceleration time to one hundred kilometers and corresponding fuel consumption in the combined cycle:
- 1.6l – 106 hp – 12.6 sec., – 7.5 l;
- 1.8l - 122 hp – 11.2 sec., 5MT – 7.9 l;
- 1.8l - 122 hp – 13.3 sec., 5AMT – 7.7 l.
Vehicle weight - 1300-1350 kg.
Users consider Vesta Cross optimal, which has a 1.8-liter engine with a manual transmission. Cretta's two-liter engine is essentially an improved version of a less powerful unit. It has more power, a confident and smooth ride.
In terms of power it is ahead of the Hyundai Creta, and in terms of gas consumption it is approximately equal.
Reviews of the Lada Vesta Sport body
Positive reviews
Evgeniy: “In the sports version, the body is given special power and aggressiveness by a number of body kits and bumpers. The car looks bigger, more solid, like a real SUV. The non-standard design attracts attention and stands out on the roads.”
Vlad: “I really like the shape of the body - smooth lines, rear running lights give it a special look. The rather large dimensions allow you to feel comfortable in the cabin, but at the same time the car does not look too big.”
Daniil: “The body has a beautiful color. I took the car in the blues shade, and never regretted my choice. It looks excellent, the paint is applied very high quality, it is clear that the layer is not thin, and the paint and varnish material itself is of very high quality.”
Sergey: “In my opinion, the car has everything you need for a budget sports vehicle. Spoiler, beautiful headlights, a number of characteristic linings, body kits and bumpers. Looks much more expensive than it actually costs"
Tatyana: “The car is perfect for those looking for a large car. All the necessary body kits, skirts, bumpers - everything is here. In addition, the color range of cars is quite wide, and there is even a new shade – orange, which looks just great.”
Negative reviews
Semyon: “My opinion is that this is a parody of a foreign car, but it’s not of high quality. On the one hand, they took the headlights from the Japanese, the body shape from the Koreans, on the other hand, they tried to add something of their own, but all these sporty details look too deliberate.”
Nikolay: “I purchased Vesta six months ago in the color “Black Pearl.” Now there are a huge number of scratches on the interior that catch your eye. What quality and six-year warranty, I don’t know. The paint peels off very quickly. The body is poorly painted"
Oleg: “I don’t see anything particularly good in the back of the car - it’s quite big. Driving around the city and parking is not always convenient. Increased ground clearance is a plus. But why make a car so massive and wide, because now compact cars are relevant"
Peter: “I spent a long time choosing a car. I read the fox reviews about the Lada Vesta St. Cross 2021, it seems like the car is good for everyone, but the body leaves much to be desired. These sports parts do not correspond to the characteristics of the car at all."
Ilya: “The body is too big. But there is not enough space inside the car. The manufacturer did not think through this nuance. And almost all the colors are metallic, why not make a regular green or red car?”
Conclusion
Not everyone approves of the body of the new Lada Vesta Sport SV. In most cases, modern drivers are interested in purchasing a more compact vehicle so that it is convenient to park or drive on a narrow road. Many are sure that AVTOVAZ’s new product is too big.
But fans of sports cars appreciated Vesta Sport. They noted the stylish body design, original inserts and a modern approach to creating a sports car.
General conclusion
The technical characteristics of the car have been improved, as have its power unit and chassis. Certainly. There are many competitors in the automotive market, but this does not prevent Vesta from confidently occupying its niche.
Its big advantages are ease of maintenance and low price, so the car will certainly be in demand among Russians.
